My dad wore a three-piece suit and looked like he’d just stepped out of a board room. He owned several businesses in town and had an office over the bank where he’d worked for two decades before becoming an entrepreneur.

He had slicked dark hair, icy blue eyes, and silver cuff links. I think he wore them just to dare everyone on the Magical Council meetings.

“I wasn’t aware the council was taking a field trip today?”

“That’s why I alerted you to our quorum status,” Pete Vargas said. “So you didn’t feel left out.”

“I’d like to speak to my son privately, please,” Dad said. “Son, walk with me.”

I gave April’s hand a squeeze, then followed my dad along the path and out of earshot of even Pete Vargas.

He brushed my hair back from my shoulders. “A lot of excitement today?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.” I attempted to release the tension in my groin to no avail.

“Is this your doing?”

I shrugged. “Yes.”

“Elucidate the means, please?”

So I told him. From trying to help Mitzy Butterfly, to meeting with Brother Langmore and Desdemonia’s appearance.

My father has the ability to actively listen. He looks you in the eye, nodding at the appropriate times, allowing you to completely relate whatever information he desired. I envied this ability in him.

After relating everything that had happened, he put a hand on my shoulder. “Noble gesture, son. I’m proud of you for standing up for someone who isn’t as strong as you.”

I felt the bite of tears in my eyes. I didn’t please my father often, but the very spare moments of praise always meant a lot. “Thanks, but I guess these are the consequences.”

“Let us return,” he said, pulling me back toward the circle.

We returned to the group where a few more people were holding mint juleps, including Miss Minnick. It looked like they had healed whatever wound had just opened.

“Well, I appreciate everyone’s concern, but I will be taking my son home now. Thank you very much for your help.”

“But Dad…”

He grinned at me, but the smile did not touch his eyes. “Silence.”

My dad was a lot of things. Entrepreneur, Werewolf, Banker, Boxer, Martial Arts expert, Carpenter, Musician, you name it. He played in the town Symphony, brokered major deals with town businesses, owned several restaurants, and even bowled Monday nights.

Everyone knew my dad. Everyone knew he had a temper. Everyone knew…that when my dad got quiet, he needed to be feared. Everyone knew that when he smiled, there would be hell to pay.

“Schoolmaster James, a word please.”

He took the principal off into the woods for a bit. I eavesdropped. I’m sure Dad did this on purpose so I’d hear.

“I expected more from you, Henry. How did things get so out of control?”

“I’m sorry, Jim. I had no idea that Minnick—“

“I expect your full report at the next school board meeting.”

Henry gulped, and nodded.

Oh yeah, my dad is also president of the school board.

“Best be looking for alternative means of employment, Henry. Thank you for your service to the students of High Valley, but that service is no longer needed. This will all be made official at the next school board meeting as well.”

The Schoolmaster deflated, but nodded and began walking back toward the main building.

Desdemonia stood next to her golden chair when father and Schoolmaster James returned. “We have yet to resolve the conjugal relations between these two.”

“A Witch’s knot is currently in place?”

Desdemonia nodded. “Yes but—“

“I will have my own specialists examine my son. If a conjugal visit is needed, one will be arranged.”

“It’s getting…” April said in a small voice, practically tearing at the laces of her bodice. “Uncomfortable.”

My dad looked up at me. “Is that so?”

I nodded, gritting my teeth. It was like someone was twisting my testicles slowly, but with increasing pressure.

“Hmmm,” he said. He stood with his right arm crossed and his left arm perpendicular with his fist loosely in front of his mouth. It was his classic thinking pose, and I’d seen him stand like that trying to decide on a million dollar deal, or what toppings to get on our pizza for the night.

“Pressure is mounting behind the knot,” Desdemonia said. “So if you’re thinking of having him examined, you’d better make it fast.”

“What will happen when the Knot unravels?”

She shrugged. “Unknown!”

I felt a sneeze coming on. It was going to be a big one. I didn’t want to embarrass anyone, so I pinched the bridge of my nose again.

No luck. It was coming. Unknown to me, April also had stood up and was closing her eyes.

“What—“

“Gonna sneeze!” she said.

Overwhelmed by the feeling, I nodded. “Me too!”

Together, we sneezed.

Katchoo!

Pain erupted from my groin. I roared in response. Unfortunately, the sneeze led to another, and another, and another. I heard April sneezing also.

I lost control of my curse. The pain was maddening, and my supernatural body answered. I could feel my face shifting, my claws extending, my heels rising upwards--

The energy built up, and I opened my eyes between sneezes to see April on her knees in front of me. An uncomfortable amount of Pink, Orange, and Black light surrounded us. I couldn’t stop sneezing.

A conflagration swept around us. Wind streamed through our hair, energy building up and up and up with each sneeze.

“Stop them!” Desdemonia said. “If that goes up—“

Brother Langmore gripped my transforming shoulder as Desdemonia held April.

The world exploded in a silent nuclear magical explosion.

I was torn from my body. A tornado of the soul ripped through me, and I felt myself whirling around and around the area. I couldn’t move my arms or my legs. I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t do anything other than ride the course of the maelstrom of magic as my soul was torn asunder.

My life flashed before my eyes. Mom’s eyes, as she laughed and held me after I’d fallen off my tricycle. The smell of her hair after a day at the beach and bringing me to our car. Dad’s grin as the three of us played a round of MoneyCity. Dad helping me through my first Change. Mom’s silver fur as we raced in the moonlight.

Mom’s soft touch on my head as the heart monitor beeped in the background. Dad’s arms holding me back as the trauma team attempted to revive her. Standing at her funeral with unknown relatives who brought dishes of food.

April laughing at me on the playground as we swung on the Monkey Bars. Mitzy Butterfly’s Were form, azure and lovely as the moon glowed through her enormous wings above me.

Jeff Farnum slapping me on the back after a round of ArenaWar. Mr. Douglas, my little league coach yelling “Atta-boy!” after hitting a home run.

Images, senses, feelings, emotions all cascaded together and swirled within a soundless maelstrom. Something changed as the air surrounding us turned green.

The smell of rotton eggs, things decaying, and burning rubber flooded my senses. I could see something below me, something with burning yellow eyes that moved, undulated, something that had tentacles rising up into the air, latching onto me and--

Oblivion intruded.

My senses returned sometime later, along with sound. I could hear snarling, snapping, barking but it wasn’t normal barking, it was Were barking. I knew that sound well.

Opening my eyes I saw three werewolves locked in battle. Two of them were much larger than the third, but they all tore into each other, snapping and clawing and roaring. Miss Minnick stood up in infernal form and cast three bubbles of darkness that swarmed over the werewolves, then separate them from each other. They were bleeding, ravenous. We were lucky they hadn’t turned on us—

April was kneeling in front of me, holding her head and Brother Langmore looked at me, then groaned. “Ohhh nooo!” he looked down at his hands. “No, no no no NO!”

“What—“ the voice coming from my mouth sounded strange. I put a hand up to my throat, and felt wattled smooth skin—

My fingers were chubby with extended nails painted a deep blue-black.

April laughed, but it wasn’t her normal laugh. It sounded deep, like the person who normally used it was used to a deeper voice and using April’s voice instead.

“What the hell happened?” I said, and I heard Desdemonia’s voice coming from my mouth. I struggled to get up with her overweight body. I rolled into a sitting position.

‘April’ looked at me. “I take it you’re not Desdemonia.”

“No, I’m Seth!”

April chuckled again. She held out a hand and helped me as I floundered up to my feet.

“This is rich.” April glanced down at her breasts and took them in her hands. “I’m going to enjoy this.”

“But who are you then?”

“Ernest Langmore, of course,” April’s body said.

“Then who are you?” I looked at Brother Langmore.

“Desdemonia! You’re in my body!”

“Wait, if you’re Desdemonia, and you’re Brother Langmore, where’s April?”

We looked at the snarling snapping werewolves slowly rotating in front of us. One of them was my body in werewolf form, one was definitely Pete Vargas, and the smaller one was my father. I’d seen his werewolf form also. The twisted inhuman characteristics of human and wolf blended together into supernaturally strong creatures with burning eyes.

“I’m not sure which one is which,” Minnick said. “But I guess it doesn’t matter. They’ve all fully changed.”

“No!” I said. “That can’t be true!”

Minnick shrugged. “Unless you can see the entanglement, I think it is. They’ve shifted without the power of the moon, which means they’re trapped in Werewolf Form. You know the rules, Seth.”

I closed my eyes, and opened my third eye. Amazed at how easy it was, I glanced around the area. The pink aura of April centered on my werewolf body. The other two must have been my father and Pete, probably in each others’ werewolf body.

The entanglement, the Witch’s knot, was gone.

I was trapped as Desdemonia Landcaster!